Working Together Like Redwood Trees?

Sometimes it can feel as though we are best working alone in our projects. We want things done OUR way, and we want to get things right the way we would like to. There are many times when we fear that letting anyone step in to offer a helping hand feel like more of a threat than a kind gift of genuine support.

However, in our bid to get everything right on our own terms, we lose sight of the fact that most tasks we will ever carry out as human beings are never done singlehandedly. Whether that be starting your own business, landing your dream job, making the grades at school, succeeding in a particular sport, game or competition, or even giving birth, we are never alone in our actions.

More to the point, we will never grow into the flourishing beings we are born to be if we continue to reject support from others.

We can become our higher selves through connecting as much as we can with the many other socially and mutually supportive beings we happen to share the planet with. It would be a great shame if we simply went along our own path, one step in front of the other, without being able to make that journey much more of a fulfilling adventure when embarked upon with others...

To place this into a bit more perspective, the analogy of the famous Redwood tree springs to mind.

For those of you wondering what a redwood tree actually is, they are absolutely gigantic and majestic tree that grow in redwood forests of California. They can live up to 2000 years and can grow to be well over 350 ft tall and 25ft in diameter ! Wow !

The real magic of these trees though isn't just in their ginormous stature though....

For many years, it was thought that the redwood trees must have huge roots to hold them down in the ground, otherwise they would simply fail to grow so tall, wide and live so long throughout harsh weather conditions, storms and even earthquakes.

However, what has been found is that the roots of the redwood tree don't grow very deep at all - only about 8ft deep, which relative to its actual size is minutely small.

Alternatively, the roots of the redwood trees grow far and wide, out towards other redwood trees in the same nearby colony. By doing this, their roots interlock with the root systems of other surrounding trees, creating a network of strength and long-lasting support.

Each tree plays a vital role in grounding one another, and together, they are able to produce around 500 gallons of water per day which gets released in mist to feed other nearby plants and vegetation.

It is their collective teamwork which not only allows each tree to survive, but also much surrounding life. Here we have a mutually supportive relationship happening, with no single tree being the sole force that sustains their own life.

In my opinion, the redwood trees are therefore a fabulous example of teamwork, as well as how we as human beings are not living on this planet solely for our own individual benefit.

In human terms, it is through working with others that we can reach mutual goals for survival, as well as follow each of our own unique paths to the very best of our abilities. Through working together, with collective teamwork rather than walking a lonely path, we can grow stronger and into our 'higher' selves.

If we relate this to living compassionately, it becomes more clear that us humans are born to help others, as well as ourselves, and that the work we do in the world has collective meaning and impacts.

We are never alone, and choosing to walk alone in our own goals won't allow us to grow enough to find the sunlight in our lives to thrive. When we reach out to others, and also accept the arms that reach out to us, we can guarantee a more fulfilled life that feels meaningful and part of something much greater than ourselves and our tunnel vision mindset.

This in itself is just one beautiful part of being human, and part of a whole ecosystem and planet that absolutely NEEDS YOU TOO in order to flourish and reach its full potential.

Do you accept the quest of becoming more like a Redwood tree ?